adminDavison Bhunu Sports Reporter
THE inaugural Sam Nzanga Mbare Primary Schools Junior Football tournament is set to be launched on May 8.
Ten 10 primary schools in the Harare-Hatfield District have registered to battle for honours in the junior league.
The Junior Football League has been named after former Black Rhinos defender-cum-central midfielder, Sam Nzanga, who is based in the UK.
He has poured in thousands of dollars into the junior football tournament which will be held annually.
The schools are grouped into two clusters — 14 and 15 — in which they will compete for the top two places on the table.
The top two teams from the two clusters will then compete for gold and silver medals.
The second-placed teams from both clusters will get an opportunity to fight for bronze.
There will be individual rewards for the top goalscorer, player of the tournament, goalkeeper of the tournament and most disciplined player of the tournament.
The participating primary schools are Shingirayi, Houghton Park, Ardbennie, St. Michael’s, Nharira (cluster 14), Gwinyayi, Chirodzo, Chitsere, Chiedza and St. Peter’s (cluster 15).
They will play their matches on a home and away basis from May through to August.
“I am very delighted to have a project like this running in the neighbourhood that I grew up,’’ Nzanga said.
“My passion is to see young people not only developing their football skills and knowledge of the game, but participating, enjoying the game and having something to look forward to every year.
“I have seen in my time so much football talent vanishing unrewarded or unrecognised because events like this were very few.
“I get so much pleasure in youth development and through what I have learnt here in England, I am sure that I will be able to share the knowledge and also continue to learn from others.” said Nzanga.
The local organisers of the junior tournament, who are being led by the former chairman of the National Five-a-side League, Frank Farakezi, are also eyeing to make the league a platform where high schools can sport young talent and help the young starlets with scholarships.
Harare High School, who are based in Mbare, have already shown keen interest in partnering with the league.
“I think we have down all the groundwork for the start of this primary schools football tournament in the Mbare-Hatfield District and we are good to go. We are now looking forward to have the official launch which will be held at Shingirayi Primary School just after the schools have opened for the second term in May.
“We are going to invite a number of guests to witness this historic event which is being sponsored by one of our sons in Mbare — Sam Nzanga. I think by the time the tournament starts, the Government would have relaxed some of the measures they’ve put in place regarding the spread of the coronavirus.
“Even if the start of the tournament falls within the 60-day ban of all public gathering which the Government recently announced through President Mnangagwa, we are still going to host it after that period,” Farakezi said.
Nzanga started his junior, education and football career at Shingirai Primary School with the Mbare-based school once being home to former Dynamos striker Edward Sadomba and ex-CAPS United centre striker Leonard Tsipa.
Online Reporter